President’s Notes – May / June 2017
Right now is an exciting time to be a planner and a member of the Georgia Chapter of the American Planning Association. Both APA National and the Chapter have new programs and benefits on the horizon that will off more opportunity for members to learn the latest best practices, network with other planners, and reach new generations of planning professionals. Last month, Jim Summerbell (GPA President-Elect) and I had the honor of attending the APA Leadership meetings prior to the National Planning Conference in New York City. We learned a lot about new programs and ideas to make our Chapter better and our members better planners in their communities. Below are just some of the things we learned about:
- APA now offers the Planners Advisory Service (PAS) Reports free to all members:
- APA recently launched a new Library E-Book Collection that is free to all members:
- APA recently relaunched the APA Foundation, I encourage you to learn about FutureShape, scholarship programs and community assistance resources provided through the Foundation
In July 2017, APA is launching a new membership program for students. Membership to APA and the Georgia Chapter will now be free for all degree-seeking students in any college or university program for the duration of an individual’s studies. The membership also includes up to five APA Divisions. Students will also be eligible to receive two year of reduced dues after ending their studies. Also, new professional planners can join APA for a reduced amount as well beginning July 2017. Please share this information with non-GPA members in your organizations and communities and students who have an interest in planning, regardless of the degree they are pursuing. More information is available here: https://planning.org/membership/.
The Georgia Chapter has been fortunate to be a recipient of the Planners4Health Grant that is working to build capacity with planners and health professionals and identify ways in which these two professions can work together to build stronger, healthier communities throughout the state. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to take a few minutes and complete the survey .
Health professionals are not the only partnerships GPA is working to forge, this year through our CM Partnership Program we have offered six events (not including the very popular Spring Conference in Woodstock) organized by our district board directors, partner organizations like the Department of Community Affairs, and the Georgia Trail Summit. If you are partnering with an organization to present planning related training and education opportunities and want to offer CM credits, please email Gary Cornell, the GPA Professional Development Officer or visit our CM Partnership Program page.